The Road Less Travelled
by Fantasma Amico
Summary: Damon finds mysterious women appearing with a vendetta against him. When he decides to enlist Alaric and Bonnie to help him with a little investigating, events ensue that not one of the three would have ever planned on. Bamon. Dalaric. Demily!flashbacks.
1. Chapter 1

Deciding that it would be the best decision in order to keep the rest of their friends safe, Stefan and Elena have left Mystic Falls. However, their idea hasn't worked out just as well as they thought it would, as Damon finds mysterious women appearing with a vendetta against him. When he decides to enlist Alaric and Bonnie to help him with a little investigating, events ensue that not one of the three would have ever planned on.

This place is a _fucking mess_. A simple thought, but it was currently the only one that there was to give. It was a fairly accurate statement anyway, the entire aura surrounding Mystic Falls had been torn to Hell ever since 1864, but ever since Klaus had made his appearance it seemed as though it was entirely obliterated. Unless you were incredibly oblivious, _incredibly stupid_, you could tell there was something amiss in the air of the town, that there was a crack in the atmosphere that was irreparable. It was enough to make most people shudder, but to Damon Salvatore, it just a disgusting tickle that gave him the urge to puke; especially when he was this bored.

Three months, that was how it had been since Stefan and Elena had decided to pull their little move, and for those past months everything had seemed to be getting duller by the second. Of course, that had been the idea of it all, them to both go somewhere more secure, but at the same time keep their friends and family out of more danger. Damon had been skeptical that it would be a successful plan, but so far it seemed to be doing quite well, which begged the question; what the hell was he still doing in Mystic Falls? As far as he could bother to consider all of his attachments to the god forsaken town were broken, he could just go back to doing whatever he pleased whenever he wanted to do it. Yet, here he was, and doing what? Sitting on a roof, drinking what he was sadly sure was probably the last of his bourbon.

He wasn't going to call it moping, because Damon Salvatore sure as hell would never admit to doing such a thing, but to be honest that was exactly what he was doing. His initial thought would be that this was because of Elena, he was very under the impression that he was in love with her, after all, but for some reason the lack of the doppelganger's presence didn't linger on his mind nearly as much as it did when she had first left. Instead, it was Stefan. After the situation of Stefan going with Klaus had played out in a long, annoying manner, there wasn't much time for Damon to try to thank his brother for saving his life. Rather he was gone as quickly as he has shown back up, and though he definitely wasn't going to admit it, he missed his brother. He missed Stefan a lot more than he missed Elena, and that was causing him to reflect back on what he thought he felt, and reflecting was a dreaded thing.

So, it was better to drink, to numb his mind and not think at all. However he didn't have nearly enough bourbon left right now to stop thinking, only a light buzz that felt like an annoying vibration in his brain. The only options he had were to either find more alcohol (and the stage of the buzz he was in was currently the laziness stage) or to distract himself with other things, namely, people watching. Essentially it just seemed like there were a lot of morons wandering around, doing brainless activities that they only did so they didn't listen to their mortal clocks ticking away. They were the types of things that put Damon into a predatory mood, and somewhere in the back of his thoughts there was need to hunt, but his current laziness did a fair job at suppressing it. Instead he just played with different ideal situations, different tactics of how to swoop down and take a moron out and there wouldn't be a single blink from any of the excess morons before they were both gone. It was a beautiful art.

This mental game of cat and mouse had been playing for at least fifteen minutes before Damon was pushed out of it via his subconscious. The vampire glanced around, not sure on what was disturbing him, but feeling something incredibly wrong, even in the already torn setting. It seemed like there was a mist surrounding him, one that he could feel, see and assumed he could touch, however when he reached in front of him, the air didn't feel at all different. What happened the moment after he tried to touch the fog was all a blur.

It was as though he has suddenly tuned into a bad channel, all of his previous thoughts had suddenly been clouded and he could remember how to do anything properly. The only thing he managed was to stand up, looking around once more to try and see what was making him abruptly brainless. The mist was thicker now, though, and any attempts to even see his own hand in front of his face would have been in vain. There was no seeing, there was no thinking, and though Damon couldn't say he had ever been the claustrophobic type, he was definitely beginning to feel like he was closed in some place that he wouldn't be able to get out of.

Just as the clouded trap was starting to feel like it would last an eternity, Damon felt himself hit the concrete roof with a meaningful amount of force. Lying down made it somewhat easier for him to see, but there were still no details, just shadows and lights that appeared to be a million miles away. In the midst of blurs, a silhouette was just barely visible; it was clearly that of a woman, with beautiful curves that framed a body that, if it were fully apparent with all of it's details, Damon would have been able to appreciate. He lifted his head trying to see the woman more clearly, the fog moving right on top of him again as he did. The sound of the mysterious silhouette walking closer was audible still, and by the time that the footsteps stopped Damon was certain that the figure was now practically hovering over top of him.

He waited, not sure he could move, or if he could what he even planned to do. Whether it be a stake to the heart or a kick to the groin, something had to be coming to him either way. After what seemed like a very elongated moment, a soft, almost sultry voice echoed in his ears. "Damon Salvatore," It didn't take him long to register that it wasn't anyone he ever heard say his name before, if he'd ever met them at all, making the situation all the more curious. The feeling of what was easily recognized as a heel against the most sensitive part of his lower body made him cringe and tense up to the point that he almost missed the rest of the stranger's statement. "Consider this your warning. Get out of Mystic Falls. Do not move to any city which belongs to us. Make yourself disappear, or be prepared to face the consequences." The heel moved away from it's danger zone and Damon relaxed slightly despite what he was being told. "You have forty-eight hours, Mr. Salvatore. Do not take this lightly."

Damon blinked rapidly in hopes that it would somehow allow him to see the woman, but just as quickly as she had shown up the silhouette was gone, and the mist was gone shortly after, fading back into the crisp evening air. Sitting up, Damon looked around trying to make something of what had just gone on, and he had come to one conclusion; he was absolutely and altogether clueless. So much for dull.


	2. Chapter 2

Unlike Damon, other people of Mystic Falls were welcoming the supposed dull with open arms, ready for some calm and life after all of the bloodshed and death. Alaric Saltzman was one of these people. He had lost enough in the past year to last him a lifetime, and the lack of yet even more critical danger was something he relished.

This was the first time in the past week or so that Alaric had really been at his own place, having gotten into the habit of spending most of his time at the Gilbert residence, if it could still even be called that. It was just Jeremy now, no Jenna, no Elena; Alaric figured the least he could do was go over there as often as he could and make it seem less empty (though he didn't appreciate the feeling of the house himself, the lack of Jenna didn't make moving on from her any easier). Of course, he was also still quite aware that Jeremy didn't want him around all of the time, and at those times he retreated back into his own apartment, or what he had salvaged of it after Klaus. This, too, he relished, enjoying a time in which he didn't feel the need to constantly hold up a mask. It was just him, alone, and…..

….Well, it _should_ have been. However the moment that Alaric turned away from his door he saw the other man standing in the middle of the room. He didn't jump, he was far too used to it now to do that, but there was a feeling that flew into him. It was the same feeling he always got around the vampire, he wasn't sure just what it was supposed to be, but he had chosen to mark it as annoyance. "Damon, what do you want?"

Damon gave a mock, pouting sort of look, his eyes glittering in the same sarcastic way they always did, "Is that _any_way to say hello, Ric? _What_ make you think I want anything?"

Alaric rolled his eyes, taking a few steps more so into the room and closer to where Damon was standing. "Because I know you. You don't drop in to check and see how I'm doing. So, whatever it is, I don't want to be a part of it."

He started to walk over to the couch, only to have the other man appear lounging in it. "Oh, come on, you don't think that little of me, do you? I just wanted to make sure the kids were alright, that you were feeling pretty….." The look that Alaric gave in return was enough for Damon to snicker. "….okay, I need something."

"_Go away_, Damon."

Alaric turned on his heel heading in the other direction, only to again be stopped by the speedy vampires abrupt appearance. "But it's important! Not just to me, to both of us. Somebody wants me out of Mystic Falls."

The teacher raised an eyebrow in response to this, putting on a tone which lingered between sarcasm and seriousness. "You mean half of the town? That isn't my problem." He tried to step to the side out of the way in vain, as Damon grabbed ahold of his arm to keep him where he was.

"That's not what I mean, smartass. I don't know who this was. It was some shadowy, voodoo, woman. And she was powerful, powerful enough to keep me where she wanted me."

Though his avoidance faltered, Alaric continued trying to blow away what he was being told. "Shadowy voodoo isn't my area. A lot of things don't like you. Why does this mean I should help you?"

Damon tilted his head, his eyes again sparking but this time with a casual curiosity. "Why are you avoiding it? I was under the impression you were one of the few people left in this town who doesn't want to kill me." The idle smirk on the vampire's face faded away and he let go of the other man's arm before shrugging. "Because, this may not be about me. Klaus, Elijah, hell, even Stefan, they're all gone now. That makes me the most powerful thing left in this shithole of a town. And if something wants me out of the way, maybe it's so they can do whatever they want without any interference. I may not care what they do to this town anymore, but you do."

Alaric faltered more, looking away before looking at Damon again, giving an exasperated sigh. "What do you want me to do?"

The vampire's smirk came back as he started to walk around the room, glancing at everything that was in it. "I want you do get your Giles on. You know, figure out just what it is were dealing with." Alaric had begun to roll his eyes again before stopping to give him an odd look.

"…..Did you just make a Buffy reference? Don't you get enough of that in your everyday life?"

Damon's smirk grew into a smile as he shrugged. "I appreciate accuracy when I can find it, also that red head was a pretty one, if I were one of them I would've much rather taken a bite out of h—"

"_Damon_."

"Right. Anyway, find out what you can. She gave me forty-eight hours to get out of town, that should give us some time."

"And what are you planning to do?" Alaric narrowed his eyes, it wasn't hard to figured out when Damon was plotting something (and that _something_ was usually immoral). He kept what Alaric assumed to be his poker face, but instead it just gave away even more of his intentions.

"I'm going to see if I can find my mystery woman myself, and if I do, I'll let you know that I don't need you."

The sound of that wasn't the best, and Alaric felt like he should protest to his search, but before he got the chance he was alone again, except this time, he was back into the natural Hell that surrounded Mystic Falls and Damon Salvatore.


	3. Chapter 3

If there was anything that Alaric had learned in the whole time he had been in Mystic Falls, it was that nothing was ever easy when Damon was involved. Just the meer thought of helping him with anything was like asking to be in the eye of a massive shitstorm, or maybe like Hotel California, because once you checked in with Damon it sure felt like you could never leave. This, Alaric convinced himself, was the only reason that he was bothering to help him now. If anyone was going to have to deal with the vampire's issues, it was going to be him and not the rest of the town. That definitely wasn't the reason, however, and somewhere in the back of his mind Alaric knew that too, he just didn't choose to acknowledge it. The truth was that no matter who else was around, who else acted (or perhaps geniunely did) like they cared, in their own ways both of the men were compeltely alone now, with only a slightly skewed friendship between them left to hold onto. So no matter how much they acted annoyed or indifferent to each other, neither really had any attention to leave the other alone, which meant Alaric was stuck trying to fufill Damon's every request.

Unfortunately, "shadowy voodoo" was a very vague idea to go on. Nearly anything could cause something like that to some degree; witches, vampires and probably some other creatues that were yet to be proven real, all of them could use glamour in some form or fashion to scare others. The only other thing in play was how much power this one contained, after all it had been able to keep Damon down without any problem, which meant it had to be packing at least a little juice. Plus, the shadowy and mystical concept wasn't real ideal for vampires (unless there name was Damon Salvatore, the insufferable show-off), so that probably ruled them out. Still, it was no help, especially when Alaric had a small library of bizzare reads all around his apartment. They ranged from everything to folklore to spell books to random things that seemed useful, each one talking about something different than the other, and it was going to make researching incredibly annoying.

Thus, the skimming of books had begun, and so far there wasn't any sign of some mysterious woman who liked to threaten vampires on her nights off (though Alaric assumed there could still be plenty of those, just for the hell of it) and no record of why some seemingly out-of-the-blue, non-vampiric being would want to wreak havok on the people of Mystic Falls.

Even so, when _didn't _something want to wreak havok on Mystic Falls? The place was a breeding ground for the supernatural.

Alaric was just hoping that Damon was having some better luck with leads than he was. Then again, when he considered Damon's methods, maybe he didn't.

* * *

><p>Damon had, in fact, had some better luck in the aspect of discovery, though not in a way which he necessarily cared for or approved of. He had tried to retrace the events of the night before, attempting to find some sign in which he could pick up a clue as to who this woman was. He went back to the rooftop, and all he saw was just what he had seen before he had been pinned to the ground and surrounded by fog, nothing at all that seemed interesting.<p>

Yet, there was a certain smell to the area now, one that was familiar and yet at the same time all very new to this setting. It was something exotic, dripping of power and grace, and it smelled a bit like violets and cherries. There was also (though his mind refused to place just _where_ it came from) a sense of nostalgia to it, an intertwining of anger and fear, and perhaps something more than that, but that was all that made itself apparent. This scent was one he was sure he knew, and it bothered him that he couldn't seem to place it, but that may have been because there was something else to it too, something that wasn't something he knew. It was like pepper mixed in with the sweetness, it was impactful and left him with his head aching slightly. It was violent and vengeful, and it seemed to display just how much fierceness was in this woman, and from the angry flash of red that shone through from the feeling, Damon smirked.

If this woman hadn't decided to make an enemy of him, he might have very much liked her.

That thought was digressing from his goal, though, and the power which illuminated from this shadow was enough to give him a good head start. He looked down from the roof, contemplating where he should go next, when the aching he had felt before seemed to be worsening. It wasn't in the way that he had felt more than once thanks to Bonnie, the little explosions inside his brain making things pop like they were in a microwave, but rather as if the atomic bomb had been newly created inside his head, obliterating any thoughts within it's destruction. Damon assumed he had screamed, or at least should have been in pain, but everything surreal, and instead of knowing what he was doing all he heard was the same voice as the night before.

"You're very stubborn, aren't you? But I've been told that. Anyway, not a problem. You'll just have to learn; just because you can't see something, that does not mean it isn't there. You're only wasting your hours. Oh, and _this? _This is only a _fraction _of what I can do. Do not test my patience. I have very little." Then, as soon as it had appeared, everything was back into place, though Damon was sure his ears were still ringing. Yes, he definitely would've liked her, but under these circumstances he was sure he didn't. This wasn't any form of fun, this was a one-on-one nuclear warfare. But, that just meant it wasn't going to be a one-sided battle.

With the atomic feeling still spinning in his mind, Damon smiled at his own twisted humour as a certain quote entered his mind,

_"I am become death, destroyer of worlds."_


	4. Chapter 4

The aftermath that was left in Damon's mind was a violent mess to the point that he could barely walk straight or think about anything that didn't involve injuring the mystery woman who had just dropped a grenade in his brain. Were it not so late into the night him walking around town would've been a hazard for any innocent passersby, but due to it already being pitch black and there being almost no sounds in sight, it seemed like he would be able to get through his inner temper tantrum without anyone else showing up.

Little did he know that he was actually walking right into the path of someone who was quite familiar with his tantrums, and at least knew how to handle him. This was routine, Bonnie had started these late night walks of hers ever since Elena and Stefan took their leave, and she didn't feel comfortable unless she took them. It was mostly just a precaution to make sure nothing too creepy was lurking about, waiting to snatch up some poor girl who was on her way back home. She planned to make sure that if something was around, it would run into her instead, which would be quite the rude awakening.

Though these walks had thankfully been inconclusive thus far, she was still observant as ever, and she had no problem feeling the vampire who was coming toward her. She was however somewhat surprised that he was here. After the other two had gone, Bonnie was almost certain Damon would be next, yet he had managed to stick around Mystic Falls instead. A small twinge of self-pity inside was telling her he was staying just to make her life a hell, but she tended to laugh and push it away, as that would've meant that Damon even gave her a passing thought, and she highly doubted that he did. Whatever reason he had for staying in town, she could definitely sense that something was wrong with him now, and not just in his usual Damon way; this was different, and there was a hint of something else inside of him that made her tense up and, though the thought barely registered with her, she was intimidated.

Bonnie Bennett no longer _did_ intimidated, especially by the likes of Damon Salvatore, and that meant whatever was inside of him that made her feel this way definitely didn't belong to him.

Damon had yet to notice the witch, and when she held her hand out stopping him dead in his tracks he was more than a little aggravated. After all, he assumed it was another

chance to hear that silky voice in his mind plus unbearable pain, and probably some jedi mind tricks to boot. Instead, as Bonnie took a few steps closer and he could see her more clearly, he wasn't sure whether to be in a better or worse mood. However the witch's expression didn't look like she was planning to pick a fight, in fact it looked entirely out of character for her, she wouldn't get too close and her voice was quiet, like a shrinking violet which any Bennett was most definitely not.

"Damon?" Her tone is one of confusion and curiosity and it causes the same to brew in the vampire as he tries to glare at her. Changing expression causes his head to feel even more ready to burst and for a moment he can swear he sees the witch's expression change a bit as well, as if she can feel his pain.

This only makes him glare more as he tries to keep eye contact with her, "_What?" _

Bonnie is reproachful for a moment, forgetting about the sudden wave of confused fear that had taken her over before and remembering just who she is talking to. This wasn't someone who deserved her sympathy, even though (for whatever reason) she could very well tell that he was in a lot of pain, he didn't even deserve an answer. This was just Damon, being a jackass, and he had probably done something that caused him to deserve the pain he was in. She rolled her eyes, ready to pass him and continue on her walk, "Nevermind. Forget I even tried."

As the witch tried to slip past him Damon reacted on impulse, grabbing her arm. "Wait." He tried to pull her around to face him again, causing the young girl to struggle against his grip and failing horribly, instead finding herself nearly right against him.

The closeness bothered her not only because of who he was or how infuriating his action had just been, but because being so much closer was causing her to feel the pain inside his head even more to the point that she was beginning to wince from it. She took a deep breath in, trying to repress it all whilst staring at the ground, not daring to look at him. She gritted her teeth, the best she could do to be threatening given the circumstances. If she caused him any more physical pain, there was no telling what effect it would also have on her. _"Let. Go. Of. Me." _

Damon didn't plan to do anything of the sort, and noticing the look of recognition of his pain on her face for the second time confirmed why he had grabbed ahold of her in the first place. He was trying his best to control his temper but instead it seemed to be doing the opposite and instead he held to her tighter. "_No. _Look at me." Bonnie lowered her head even more hoping that he would dismiss the suggestion, but instead he put a hand against her chin, trying to push her head back up, softening his expression in an almost venomous way. "I said, _look at me._" Slowly, the witch allowed her green eyes to meet is ice blue eyes that seemed to be nearly as frigid. She swallowed, not in a manner of fear but to calm her nerves from the pain, attempting to hold her ground against the vampire who had clearly lost ahold of what calm he may have had and was now letting his pain talk for him. "You feel it, don't you?" His voice remained cool and yet burning like some deep chemical reaction going through Bonnie's spine and for a moment all she could manage to do was nod.

As she did, his grip became so tight that she could no longer stop herself from wincing. She assumed he must have taken notice to it, as he seemed to loosen just a bit as he moved even closer still, his face now barely missing touching her own. "Then what is it?"

The witch tried her best to move away from him, looking into his eyes that were now filled with nothing but determination. She kept her own expression calm and rational, hoping that somehow it would make him relax. "I...I don't know." A sharp pain went through her as even considered trying to deduce what it could be, and she took another deep breath. "Can you let go of me now?"

Despite looking hesitant Damon finally let go, stepping back enough so that they both had their own spaces to themselves again. Something inside of Bonnie was prepared to bolt and it was very clear on her face, causing Damon to actually look taken aback. The concept of running away was never one he had seen on a Bennett witch either, and he knew despite what his ego may have wanted to convince him that he could no longer cause such a sensation in the youngest one. Whatever was after him, even she was subconciously terrified of it. Now she was staring at the ground again, and slowly backing away like a cat from water. "Whoever it is, _whatever_ it is, it doesn't like you. And it doesn't want me to know." She shot a fiery, pointed look at him which was something that finally fit her. "You sure as hell better keep it away from everyone else. The last thing we need is more blood being shed."

Bonnie turned on her heel and another instinctive thing flew from Damon, but this time it was words rather than action. "Will you help me...find out what it is?"

The girl stopped where she was, turning her head and nearly laughing. "You say that as if I would trust you to take care of it yourself. Of course I will." There was the passing thought that annoyed her (_Why are you helping Damon Salvatore, _again?) but she sighed, rolling her eyes and turning again, returning to her walk with much more apprehension than she had when she started it.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time Bonnie was done with her walk it was three A.M., and while she was fully prepared to stay away from the stubborn, unsettling feeling inside of her, exhaustion won her over. So instead, she found her eyes closing the moment her head hit her pillow, and within minutes she was deep into sleep that she hoped would be dreamless, however it was anything but.

Instead it was seemed like she began to dream almost automatically, and it was vivid, colourful and almost glittery. As a dream is romanticized to be, she would have consciously assumed, but unconsciously she was absorbed in the beauty of it, perched in some invisible seat and smiling at the gorgeous scenery around her. She was completely entranced when a silky, soft and almost motherly voice echoed in her ears. "_Bonnie." _Knocked out of her dazed the witch looked around to see a woman standing right in front of her. The stranger was beautiful; with caramel skin only slighty lighter than her own and soft chocolate strands of hair which went down to the middle of her back. She was physically young, Bonnie guessed mid-twenties, but in her eyes there was something that suggested the contrary, a kind of ancient wisdom and superiority that almost wiped the smile completely off of Bonnie's face.

The other woman seemed to take notice and offered a small, seemingly cold smile before taking a step back and sitting herself. She kept eye contact with Bonnie, not looking prepared to let it go at any moment, then began once again. "Bonnie Bennett. You have quite the lineage, quite the spark in your blood. That's good, it means you're strong. I wish we didn't have to meet under these circumstances."

The other woman crossed her legs as Bonnie gave her a confused look, "What circumstances do you mean? ...Who are you?"

"I think you know the answer to that. At least, the short one." She didn't change expression as Bonnie notices the glittery scenery was starting to fade, becoming a darker grey. She began to feel an identifiable pain, and as it began to dawn on her Bonnie's eyes widened.

"You're the one who wants Damon out of Mystic Falls."

The woman stood up as the now grey sky began to turn even closer to black. "Yes. So I suppose your next question will be _why_. Well, that is none of your concern. All I am here for is to tell you this, and I will tell you this only once, little Bennett. I can feel the power in you, that which you borrow. To someone like me that power means nothing. I have years beyond yours and those whose powers you possess _combined_, I am more powerful in every way. I would never wish to hurt you, but if you get in my way with Damon Salvatore, I will not hesitate. I do eliminate my problems, Bonnie, and you are just a child. He is a creature that should not have the privlege of still existing. _Do not help him._ I will not harm you, I will not harm anyone else. Just let me have the vampire." The woman glanced up at the sky which was now turning a blinding white, and before Bonnie could respond she looked back at her. "Have a nice morning."

Bonnie suddenly came swirling back into reality and awakeness, a pain in her head and gasping from surprise of the sudden leap from her dream. Her feelings were one giant mess of uncertainty that she couldn't seem to piece together, and for several minutes all she could do was sit and try to sort them out.

That was, until the phone rang.

* * *

><p>Unlike Bonnie, Alaric hadn't slept at all. Instead, he had looked through a good portion of the books in his house and still had no clue what he should look for. He was sitting on the floor against the side of a cushion, looking through yet even more lore when he heard a plop that was now distinct to him on his couch. "You could just use the door, it was open, and the polite thing to do. You know, like a <em>human<em>."

"But that would be boring." Damon's voice seemed to try and capture it's usual snark, but the attempt was one that sounded tired and uninspired. It didn't go unnoticed as Alaric glanced over at him, not a hard task as the vampire was now slid half-way off of the couch, black strands of hair almost hitting Alaric's shoulder.

He looked into Damon's eyes to see they showed the same exhaustion, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

There was a ring of concern in his voice that Damon smirked at, shrugging. "Never better Ric, did you find anything?" Damon slid down even more, laying one of his arms on Alaric's shoulder. The younger man shifted, clearing his throat, trying to pretend the sudden closeness didn't bother him. He wasn't sure why it should anyway, Damon was Damon, boundaries were not something he had, so it wasn't really anything. Not that he cared...

Of course not.

Alaric shifted some more before sighing, "Not really. You gave me too much to work on, too many things fit your criteria. If you want anything stronger we're going to have to have more."

_"I could help with that." _

Both of the men looked toward the doorway when they heard the familar voice, Alaric looking slightly confused and Damon gradually leaning back onto the couch. "Bonnie, what are you doing here?"

Alaric was looking back at Damon before Bonnie even had time to respond, knowing the answer. "He called, told me to come here. So here I am. And..." She hesitated, remembering her dream and the warning it contained. She had reviewed it in her head a hundred times before she had chosen to come here, and she still wasn't certain this was the right choice. She wanted to help Damon, not for his sake but for Stefan's, and in turn Elena's as well. Possibly even more than that she was curious, ready to see what she could very well be up against. Swallowing hard, she continued on. "...I may know what we're looking for."

Damon seemed curious, tilting his head to the side and sitting up a bit more. "Well, what would that be?" Bonnie met his eyes, and they must have contained her look of curiosity and hesitance as Damon seemed to register something, and his own interest seemed to turn into discontent. "Don't tell me..."

Bonnie nodded, almost smirking from the vampire's sudden mood swing at the discovery,

"That's why I felt her. She's a witch."


	6. Chapter 6

For a moment the room had seemed to freeze and all Alaric could do was look between Damon and Bonnie waiting for one of them to show some sign of having a course of action. Instead Damon just looked annoyed and Bonnie looked amused, which left it up to him to break the silence. "So, it's a witch. Great." The piercing look he recieved from Damon urged him to continue, "Or...not. What are we going to do about it?"

Bonnie dropped her smirk, shrugging and walking casually around the room. "I don't know. She's not a normal witch. She said she's more powerful than me."

At that Damon finally decided to add his commentary, "How can she be stronger than you when you are channeling a hundred dead witches? Even if she could have that much power on her own, she'd have to have years upon years to control it, witches don't live that long."

"She does," Bonnie had stopped walking and was seeming to contemplate the idea. "There is something about her, something that is incredibly wise...a kind of wisdom I only ever saw in one other person. _Elijah. _I don't think she's mortal, but she doesn't seem to age. She is far from a normal witch." That concept didn't please Damon at all, and Bonnie could tell from his face that he was uncomfortable with it. An expression passed the witch's face which she thought could have actually been sympathy for him, but it clearly left. Whatever reason this was happening, she knew he did something to deserve it. "I can look through some of the books I have, see if I can find something that reminds me of her. If I find something then I'll call Da-"

"No." The word had flown out of Alaric's mouth before he had even realized he was saying it, not thinking it. Now that the other two were staring at him, he felt inclined to keep going. "You'll tell me. Not Damon. If either of you find anything, you come here first. I don't need either of you going off and trying to take care of something alone."

Bonnie gave an understanding nod, and though he was expecting some snarky comment of disagreement from Damon, instead all the other man did was smirk...well, at first, but he couldn't just keep it there. "_Awh_, your teacher is showing. That's adorable. _Fine_, I'll come here, I don't need any demerits on my record, Mr. Saltzman." He flung himself up from the couch, stretching and motioning between the other two. "I'm going for a walk...or somewhere, maybe I can remember why some immortal witchy would think I peed in her Captain Crunch."

With that Damon was gone, leaving Bonnie and Alaric both raising eyebrows at where the vampire had been sitting. "...Is it just me, or does he seem even bitchier than usual?" Bonnie asked, glancing curiously at Alaric. She was used to the irritable Damon who got annoyed with every little thing that _she_ said, but he seemed to do that much more rarely with Alaric.

The man just shrugged in return, sighing lightly. "I guess he has his reasons."

Bonnie nodded, still not taking her eyes off of him. "Right, well I'm going to see what I can find in some of my books, and I'll get back to you."

Alaric looked at the ground as the witch headed towards the door before quickly shouting to her. "Hey! ...Make sure he doesn't kill anybody, or get himself killed. Please."

Bonnie turned in the doorway offering him a small smile, "I'll try."

* * *

><p>Bonnie's plan didn't involve her books at all <em>or<em> watching Damon, however. Instead she was searching, hoping she could find some trace of their mystery witch's power in the air and talk to her. She stood on the rooftop, the one that she knew she had been close to the night before during her encounter with Damon. As she had continued walking from where she had been standing then, she found herself at the rooftop where the trace seemed to be the strongest. Unfortunately, the power seemed to just linger there, not travelling in any other direction. That left her with only one option; looking insane.

"Hey!" She was yelling at the top of her lungs, and she quickly scanned around to make sure no one else was on the roof, sneaking up on her. Then, she kept going. "_Hey! _I know you're here! I want to walk to you! ..._Please!"_

Bonnie wasn't even entirely sure why she was pleading, she wasn't this desperate to help Damon, she assumed she was just simply curious. She had met other witches, but most of them didn't seem to stick around long (or live long) and she was just so...different. She just wanted to know everything she could, anything that she would tell her. The girl stood in silence for a moment, sighing with only the wind blowing around her. She had begun to give up and walk toward the stairway before she saw a woman right in front of her. Were she not used to vampires sneaking up on her, Bonnie surely would have jumped, as the woman was dangerously close and the same one she had seen in her dream the previous evening. "There is nothing to talk about, Little Bennett."

The woman turned and Bonnie started to grab for her arm, "Wait!" Bonnie immediately stepped back as the older witch turned again, staring at her coldly. "I don't think I can stop you, and I know you are going to do what you want with Damon. But...I'm a witch too, I have the right to be curious. I just want to know what you're planning to do with him." The best she could do was hope the more powerful woman didn't have the ability to see through lies, even if only half of it was. She _did_ want to know what they were planning, after all, she just also happened to be planning a way to stop them.

The cold look remained on the witch before it slowly softened in a hesitant way. "...I cannot tell you what will be done with him later. That is beyond my power. I am only here to initiate the first part."

Bonnie gave a weary look, scared of the idea that there were even _parts_ to this, or that there was a higher power than this woman, but she urged her to continue nonetheless. "What's the first part?"

A small smirk came across the witch's face as she spoke. "Inebriation. Not in the way you would think through the use of alcohol, but in our own way. Vampires have their way to cut off emotion, and emotion _is_ the vampire's greatest weakness. So, when they are essentially a sociopath, they are stronger, much stronger. But if we get into his mind, cut off that wall, and not only make him feel but make those feeling enhanced to a raw, almost primitive manner, he's practically defenseless."

Bonnie's eyes widened, scared of just what that could mean. "If all he has is raw feeling, what makes you think he won't hurt someone? He's a _vampire._ And not the one with the best morals at that."

The witch shrugged, turning away again. "We can track him, Little Bennett, he won't be hurting anyone ever again."

Bonnie thought that sounded much more ominious than she could care for.


	7. Chapter 7

Damon's plan of walking hadn't worked out very well, in fact it had failed entirely. There was something in his mind, some buzzing feeling that he couldn't shake and hadn't been able to since the night was distracing to the point he couldn't even plan violent plots, and that was definitely his favourite hobby. So, instead, he had decided just to make his way back to Alaric's place with nothing better to do but bother him.

As he touched the door knob, the vampire felt something else come over him that was nothing short of a heatwave, it was like a fever and it stopped him in his tracks. Then, as quickly as he had felt it he was gone again, and he was left standing blankly in front of the door. As confused as ever (in these past few days, that was), Damon walked slowly into the room causing Alaric to be startled.

It wasn't that he wasn't expecting it, he imagined Damon would be barging in anytime, but that was just the thing. He _didn't_ barge at all, he actually walked in through the door like a normal person (that included vampires with manners) would. That within itself had caused him to wonder if something else had happened while he had been out. He took a few steps closer as Damon made his way further into the room. Alaric softened his voice, remembering from earlier that the other man had been even more easily annoyed than he usually was. "...Are you okay?"

Rather than digging some snarky comment out from the back of his mind, Damon simply smirked and walked forward. "I am _fantastic." _He stretched, walked around Alaric as he did and not taking his eyes off of him, making the teacher be somewhat reminded of a shark circling it's meal. "And how about _you?_" When Damon stopped circling he was right in front of Alaric, still staring at him with some intent that Alaric didn't recognize, the smirk still painted on his face. "Did you find anything?"

"...No. Not really." The look on the vampire's face was still bothering him quite a bit and so did the closeness. He took a step back, looking at the floor. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"_Never better." _Damon cocked his head to the side, a curious and almost playful look appearing on his face. "Is something wrong, Ric?" For the one step Alaric had taken back Damon took three forward, trying to push the other man's face up so he could look in his eyes again. "You seem nervous about something. Why would you be nervous?"

Alaric unwillingly met Damon's eyes trying his best not to show any sign that the way they currently were was bothering him. "I have no reason to be nervous. Everything's fine, Damon."

He didn't look entirely convinced, instead his smirk was now a full on smile, one that immediately made Alaric think of the vampire he had pictured before he had known him. Damon grasped onto his arms, pushing against him and causing Alaric to simply freeze where he stood. "Does it bother you, if I touch you? I noticed that this morning, it's like you're scared something will happen..._but you want it. Don't you?_" Damon leaned in, grinning like a fiend. "Don't tell me you haven't thought about it, Ric. I know you have." Getting even closer still, he brushed his lips against the other man's, his voice now barely above a whisper. "Haven't you wanted to kiss me?"

At first it had felt as if time stopped and he didn't know what to do, mostly just because Damon was right. He'd thought about it, more than once, and he sure as hell wanted it, but he never expected it to _happen._ Besides that, something was telling him that this wasn't the thing to do, that if this started it couldn't possibly end well because Damon didn't just throw himself at him by some sudden sensation to do so. This had to be something else, something was wrong. _But..._

...sometimes you just couldn't do the right thing.

Because now the ice was broken and Alaric hadn't even taken a moment to think once their lips were touching, he just went on instinct, and that caused him to kiss back as hard as he possibly could, and that itself caused a chain reaction. It was like a spark had just grown into a wildfire and neither of them were thinking, only reacting, kissing and ripping and trying to breathe in between. Without knowing it Alaric's back was now against a wall, Damon's hands holding his wrists against it and pushing his body against his own.

Alaric could feel Damon against his neck but it didn't register that he should be alarmed; he was in a euphoric trance that had caused him to be otherwise immobile. It wasn't until there was a nerve tingling sting that he had returned to reality. He could feel the blood being drained from him and now there was another unconscious action, he grabbed Damon by the hair and started attempting to pull him back. "_Damon...please..." _

To his surprise it wasn't a difficult fight and the vampire pulled back, licking the blood from his lips before shooting a fiery look his way and putting his own wrist up to his mouth, biting down and ripping it away, pushing it towards Alaric's mouth. "Go ahead. Take it." He licked at his lips a bit more before giving a bloody smile. "I know you've thought about this, too."

Alaric was having a deja vu of feelings, again knowing there was something completely skewed about what was going on, and yet he did as he was told, grabbing the other man's wrist and drinking out of it. He could feel the wound on his neck healing, a source of power moving through him that could have been easily compared to a hurricane. It was completely new to him and yet somehow he wouldn't have pictured it to be any other way, the feeling was so much what Damon was that it made complete sense to him and it had bewitched him.

As Damon moved his wrist away, looking incredibly pleased with himself, Alaric began to realize he couldn't continue with this, despite his desire to do so. He wasn't about to let his desire push his responsibilities out of the way, he was going to do his best to figure out what the hell was going on. In order to do that, however, he needed to get as far away from his beautiful hurricane as possible. He attempted to sigh but it came out breathless, and he stared at the door avoiding looking at Damon's face at all costs. "I...I need to go..."

* * *

><p>Alaric hadn't gone too far out of his apartment and had just barely finished wiping the blood off of his face when he heard someone call his name, and an almost ominous chill in the air.<p>

"Alaric Saltzman?"

It was a girl's voice, soft and pretty and almost youthful but somehow incredibly refined. Alaric turned around to see a small woman in front of him, smiling politely up. "That is your name, correct?"

"Do I know you?" Though he tried his best to sound polite there was a bite to his voice, as he definitely wasn't in the mood to be talking to random strangers, especially now that it was getting increasingly cold.

"No, you don't. But let's just say we have a mutual friend." The woman's smile was enough for him to understand just who she meant, and as Alaric tried to move he found himself stuck to where he stood. The witch stepped closer, causing the teacher to struggle even more. "I'm sorry we have to meet this way. I have nothing against you, Ric. That's what everyone calls you, isn't it? I digress...you're close to him. I've been observing where he goes, he always seems to go to the same apartment. I've discovered it's yours. ...Don't worry, I haven't spied on you as I could care less about you. This isn't personal, Ric, I just need to destroy pieces of him. And you...you're a piece." The woman lifted a hand up in the air, her smile growing sweeter as she did. "I'm sorry."

The witch's eyes seemed to have a distinct gloss over them as she swatted her hand to the side and Alaric's neck snapped with the same movement.


	8. Chapter 8

Just as easily as the witch had appeared to Bonnie, she was now gone, too quick for the younger girl to even try to get her name out of her. Instead all she had was a bad feeling deep inside, an inner rumbling of storm clouds telling her this was only the beginning, but things were about to get out of control very fast. She'd had the same feeling when Stefan and Damon had first come to town, but since the younger Salvatore and Elena had left, it hadn't been there nearly as much if at all. Now, it was in full force, perhaps worse than it had been then, and it was frankly scaring the hell out of her.

She wanted to find Damon, she _needed_ to find Damon, to make sure he didn't do anything horrible, of course. Bonnie was quite comfortable with accepting that completely as the reason rather than consider she could be worried about something happening to _him_. Just what on Earth did he do to make this woman so angry? "_Well, there are plenty of things he could've done, he's _Damon." She thought after asking herself the question, allowing a small smile to appear on her face before quickly dropping it. She had no way of knowing just where a vampire who could very well be going primal could be without tracking him, and the best way for her to do that would be to go back to Alaric's and try to find a spell to search him out.

As she made her way down the hall to his apartment, there was a sense of panic still jolting through the witch, like everything was progressing now and the calm was gone. The feeling only got worse and she stopped where she stood, staring at the door of Ric's apartment wide open. She moved slowly into it, trying to keep her voice low. "Alaric?"

"He's not here."

A very distinct chill went up her spine when she recognized the voice before seeing whom it belonged to, and as she finally did lay eyes upon him it only got worse. There was Damon, lounging on the couch like everything was fine, but she could tell something was different in him, she could _feel_ it. Those icy eyes of his had a sort of wild look to them, and not the fiery one that he had when he was being playful, but one that seemed unintentional, like he really had no idea what he was doing. Aside from that, she also quickly noticed the red stains along the collar of his shirt as well as some dried blood still around his lips as well, causing her to keep her distance as she spoke. "Well, where is he? And why is the door open?"

The Salvatore sat up a little before speeding over next to her. He was hoping to cause a startle or at least a little jump, but Bonnie remained solid where she stood, causing him to pout slightly. "I don't know. He said he had to go. He didn't bother closing the door, neither did I."

She nodded, staring still at his collar and wondering just who that blood belonged to and whether or not they were still alive. She was also praying he was telling the truth. "...Okay. So he was in a rush, and why would _that_ be?"

The witch raised a challenging eyebrow, but rather than give one of his trademark bitchy expressions in return, Damon smiled brilliantly, some blood still on his teeth and his fangs slightly visible. "I have no idea, Bon-bon. Maybe he had to pick up his dry cleaning."

"_What_ did you just call me?" Bonnie glared in annoyance at the nickname and the answer, but that only appeared to be making the vampire all the more amused. He took a few steps closer to her and she was highly tempted to have a few things begin bursting in his brain at that moment, but she seemed to be having trouble doing that. Though he looked psychotic, he also looked incredibly pitiful. Besides, it wasn't as though he was prepared to sink his fangs into her...yet. Instead, he did something else she didn't very much care for.

He _sniffed_ her. A vampiric and primal thing to do, she guessed, but that didn't make it any the less strange, especially with the little moan of enjoyment that came from him afterward. "Well, it's an appropriate nickname for you. You know, a witch's blood is much different than that of a normal human. It's richer, more satisfiying..." Damon inhaled deeply once more in a way that made Bonnie highly tempted to punch him in the face. "_...Dolce."_

As the witch looked up at him furiously he couldn't help but smile wider, making Bonnie all the more angry. "_Damon," _Her voice was an almost venomous whisper. "Where. Is. Alaric?" Damon rolled his eyes and inhaled deeply again, his eyes fluttering and rolling back euphorically again before closing. It didn't seem to be directed toward her this time, more just like he was generally searching something out.

His eyes flew open much more quickly than they had closed, and he sighed in an over-dramatic manner that was obviously mocking, looking out the window. "_O,_ where art thou, history teacher?" A small giggle escaped him before, he shrugged casually, dropping the act completely. "I don't know. He left, and he's not anywhere close. Perhaps we should make lost dog posters."

The vampire rolled his eyes again before turning and taking a few steps away, looking around the room whilst Bonnie watched him carefully. Everything was wrong here, and she had two things she needed to deal with and no idea of how to do it and she had no time to sit around and think. She moved over to Damon, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the door. "Come on."

Damon gave her a puzzled look as he allowed himself to be pulled, "Where are we going?"

"I'm going to find Alaric, and you're going to help me."

* * *

><p>Death was a strange feeling, and Alaric Saltzman knew that very well. Mostly because he had died more than any normal person would, as generally it openly happened once. This, however was his third time at it, and it wasn't necessarily painful, just incredibly terrifying. It was quick for the most part, the physical ache went away within seconds, but there was that small voice in your head whispering ever so deviously, "<em>What have you ever done with your life?" <em>Alaric could hope he'd at least done something with himself, but that wasn't something he was entirely convinced of. He was a failure in his own opinion really, he'd lost Isobel and he'd also lost Jenna, both of which he felt he could've been able to prevent. If he'd still had his ring, he would've at least felt he could come back and try to accomplish something, but he didn't have that any longer either. This was it, he was dead, permanently, and he was a fucking failure.

So he had thought, anyway, until one very painful breath came after what was meant to be the consistent darkness.

It wasn't like he'd felt when he had come back to life before, this was much more like he still wasn't there. In fact, it felt a bit like he was floating on air, and for a moment he thought he could've been a ghost. As he sat up as a solid form though, he realized that wasn't the case, instead finding himself very dizzy. There was a surging force through him, one that was foreign yet familar and almost intoxicating. It was like lightning going through his entire body...or a hurricane.

Alaric's eyes widened as he stood completely, almost losing his balance as he did. It wasn't hard to sort out, the only thing keeping him alive was Damon's blood pumping through his veins, and that still didn't even really count as living at all. He was in transition.

He was a vampire.


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry for not updating for a bit, I will try to do so regularly again. 3_

* * *

><p>Everything Alaric felt was heightened, every single sense within him was perked. More than that though, he was <em>starving. <em>Later he decided he needed to curse himself for becoming a borderline alcoholic, because from what he knew of how vampires worked he doubted already having a drinking addiction helped him out. Right now, however, he was focused on forming a plan. He couldn't kill anyone, he would die before he did that. That was the kicker though, he didn't want to die, he wanted to live, even if he would be a vampire. That realization sunk in much more quickly than he expected for it to, since just a moment before he wasn't sure what he had to live for. The drive was just that, he hadn't done anything that he found to be of worth as a human, so perhaps he could do something as a vampire.

He needed blood, he just needed to get it another way. There was the forest, but there could be someone walking around there too, and he knew if it came between a bunny and some blonde girl walking aimlessly around the forest like an open target, he'd take the girl. His apartment, that was it. Damon was around there enough, and they couldn't always have drinking nights with him being satisfied with just bourbon, which meant there had to be at least a few packs of blood in his fridge.

The sky rumbled and Alaric looked up, it was darkening fast, becoming a grey-ish crimson that was eerie. He heard a light, feminine laugh far off that set his teeth on edge, and he felt something else that was getting closer to him, some intoxicatingly dark force that was familiar, that he wanted to go into. He started to move toward it until he heard another laugh, and then he used his newfound speed to make his way back to his apartment.

* * *

><p>Damon and Bonnie had only been walking for probably about fifteen minutes, and already Bonnie wanted to turn around. A primal Damon was a bit like having to tote around a toddler who was finding out everything in the world, except that toddler also had a high level of bloodlust and a steadily rising sex drive. He wanted to pursue every sound he heard, watch every person he saw, and he seemed to have completely forgotten what they were even doing. That was, until he came to a dead stop in the middle of an empty, shadowed piece of the road, turning on his heel to look at her.<p>

"He was here, but he's gone now." He closed his eyes and smelt the air in a way that Bonnie couldn't help but find peculiar, before opening them again and taking a step toward her. "There's something else, but I can't put my finger on what it is. The only direction his scent leads to is back to his apartment, and unless he suddenly became Flash Gordon I don't think he'll be there. This is just a dead end."

Bonnie looked at the ground, also sensing something that she found unsettling, but that she couldn't quite make out. She sighed, looking back up and at the vampire. "Well, I guess we'll just have to keep walking anyway." She turned, going in the opposite of the direction in which they came.

Damon was suddenly in front of her, looking anxious. "You do realize that there is...Bellatrix Lestrange or something out here, right? That wants to _kill me? _Alaric talked me he was going out, maybe he's just walking. He isn't the one they want dead, I'm sure he's fine. Maybe he just made sure I couldn't track him...maybe he's pissed at me."

The witch raised an eyebrow. "Why would he be pissed at you?"

He shrugged, looking up. "I don't know." He tilted his head at the sky as it rumbled, and then watched as a few drops began to fall to the ground. After that, it began to rain steadily, quickly turning into a downpour.

Bonnie watched it curiously, thinking that from rain it had an odd smell to it. "It wasn't supposed to rain today..."

"Bonnie." She moved her glance away from the rain and back to Damon, who was now standing as if he was glued to the floor. His voice cracked, and though it was harder to focus in the rain she thought his skin was reddening. "Make it stop. _Please." _

Her eyes widened at the last addition, Damon Salvatore didn't say please. Something was definitely wrong, and it only took a few seconds for her to figure out that it wasn't an illusion, and that what was around him wasn't fog coming off of the pavement, it was smoke coming off of his skin. "It's...raining vervain." Bonnie took a deep breath, moving closer to him. "Can you move?" Damon didn't answer, instead just giving her a pain-filled look that gave her enough of an answer.

She looked up at the sky again, trying to will the rain to stop. When that failed, she tried to simply turn it into water. Not being able to do either filled her with a sort of panic, and she showed looking at him again. "I can't stop it. ...But we can try something else." She wasn't entirely sure it would work, she had only even tried it around her house when she was home alone, and that was short distance. Still, she wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, willing for them to be back at Alaric's, or anywhere but the rain. There was a moment that felt like a strong wind, and then she heard Damon land on the floor with a thud, her on top of him.

Bonnie glanced around and they were in the familar apartment they had left shortly before, and then she looked down at Damon, who was moaning something under his breath about her hands pushing into him. She eased off, instead moving on the floor next to him. She looked him up and down, wincing a bit at all the damage that she saw. "Are you okay?"

The vampire turned his head, giving her a look of extreme disdain. "_No." _ He looked away and toward the other side of the room. He slowly sat up while cursing, still peering curiously over. "Did you hear that?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes, trying to ignore that the pain still in his voice bothered her. "No, Damon, all I heard was your bitching."

He ignored her, standing up. "Someone else is here."

As soon as he said it Damon was slammed against the door before being flung back to the floor, the other person on top of him. It took a moment until he could gain focus enough to see them, and his eyes widened in surprise once he could. "Ric? ...This isn't really the time to wrestle with me...and how did you..." He stared at the other man's face, taking everything in. "Something's different."

"No shit, something is different. Everything is always _different _when I am around _you." _Alaric growled, and Damon looked taken aback by it. Before he could hesitate at all, Alaric's face changed, veins around the tops of his cheekbones popping out and the whites of his eyes becoming a blood red. "What does it look like is different now?"

"Ricky..." There was something sad in Damon's voice, like it was something he wouldn't have asked for. "But how did you- the witch. It was the witch, wasn't it? She killed you...to get to me." Damon pushed Alaric's hair back and smiled before pushing him off, sitting back up and looking at Bonnie, who had been watching unsure of just what she should be doing, a feeling she didn't care for in the slightest.

Damon looked down at his arms, the skin still not healing on them as quickly as he'd like. He cracked his neck, his eyes going red before returning back to normal. Whoever this bitch thought she was, if she thought that she could play this game with him, her days were numbered.


End file.
